The musical
collaboration between Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma invariably delights my
students, and class discussion leads naturally to questions about the
instruments played. Of course, there's an app for that,
Meet
the Orchestra.

As apps go, Meet
the Orchestra is direct and no nonsense. It’s also afine
app for “guess theinstrument,”
but you won’t have to guess
which instrument I’m focusing on. It’s the cello, of course, in honor of Yo-Yo
Ma!

After an orchestra family is
selected, each instrument in the section is introduced by name. When a specific
instrument is selected, the other members of the family rush off the stage and
a solo starts. The title and composer’s name scroll under “now playing,” and general information about the instrument is
included.

Excerpts are generous, nicely
curated, and can be changed by selecting the notes on the staff. If there are
five notes, the instrument has five separate listening examples. My kiddos
delight in selecting what comes next.

Questions for guided listening:
Was the piece (mostly) high or low? Fast
or slow? Piano or Forte?
Legato
or Staccato? Answers, of course, can be none of the above!

Cello excerpts include:

·Bach – Boureefrm Suite No.3 in C for unaccompanied cello, BWV1009

·Brahms – Cello Sonata No.1 in e, Op38

·Tchaikovsky – Symphony No.4 in f, Op.36

·Impromptu

·Saint-Saëns – The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals

Depending on time, age group
and intention, other questions might be: How
did it make you feel? What kind of brain pictures did you get?

Shall We Dance?

The
answer is always “Yes!”

Music Masters II Dancers!

There is a wealth of repertoire
that lends itself to dancing legato and staccato. Among my top choices are a handful of movements, or pieces, from Camille Saint-SaënsCarnival
of the Animals. The compositions are short, engaging (most under two
minutes), and lovely to move to. Hens
& Roosters and Fossils lend
themselves to staccato, while The Swan luxuriously
exudes legato. Kangaroos and
Aquarium have a bit of both.*

Listen.
Encourage students to think what animal(s) the composer was writing about.

There’s even a Bugs and Daffy’s “Carnival
of the Animals” from 1976, which combines said characters, a young
Michael Tilsen Thomas as conductor, and Ogden Nash lyrics. The orchestra
performances are thrilling, but stay away if you’re not a Daffy Duck fan!

Challenge. My
kiddos and families always love a Pre-K or
Kindergarten challenge. Hand out
dance streamers and do preliminary warmups using legato and staccato
movements (jump, sway, bounce, twirl, etc). Tell your class, , “I’m going to switch from playing legato to staccato music, and not tell you when I do. Show me, through your movements, which one it is. Freeze when the music stops.”

Dance Streamers - My own invention! See directions below.NOTE: This goes without saying,, but I’ll say it
anyhow. Remind those who need reminding that this is not the opportunity to careen wildly or shake the dance streamers in anyone’s face. Althoughfree movement is encouraged, there are no trips to the hospital in music class!

Here’s where the iPadshines yet again. The whole suite is in
my iTunes, and the songs can be instantly changed with the tap of the finger. There’s
no fussing with remotes or manually changing cuts on the CD player. PIC

Shall We Sing?

That’s
what we do!

The American heritage singing
game, Jump Josie, beautifully
illustrates the difference between legato and staccato and is fun to
sing and play. What’s not to like?

Teach the song: Listen. Ask children to listen while you sing. Rock gently side to side (legato)during
the first part, and chap hands in the second (staccato).

Look: Sing the
song again, this time usingyour
iPad and the KidsDoodleor a favorite whiteboard app. Drawing
smooth and connected lines during the first section, and short, separate lines
on the second. A classroom whiteboard or piece of paper also works.

Rinse and Repeat! Ask children to stand in a circle and echo the
song, phrase by phrase. The second section can dispense with echoing. Slow the
song down for the legato end “Oh, my Susan Brown.”

Play. There
are many ways to play this game. Here is one:

·Two students go into the
circle and hold hands, facing each other. Hands are swung side to side during
the first, or legato, section.

·Dancers in the outside
ring sway gently side to side while singing.

·The staccato, or second section,
calls for a change: The dancers inside the ring are the designated jumpers, and
the kiddos in the outside ring are the clappers.

·At the end of the song,
ask the two in the middle to choose new partners
from the outside ring. Repeat with four students, or “four in the middle.”

·Eventually, there will
be “all in the middle.” Change
partners and repeat.

Extend.

·Use colors, patterns,
clothing, etc., to call dancers into the middle, e.g., “stripes in the middles,” “red in the middle,” glasses in the middle,” and
my favorite, “hair in the middle.” Silly
is good.

·Count how many dancers
are in the middle. Count by ones, then
do it again withtwo’s.

Shall We Draw?

Of
course!

·Before starting, place
paper and markers on tables. Some classrooms have individual student
mini-whiteboards, which also works.

·Sing Jump Josie, drawing on your iPad, paper
or whiteboard, making sure to differentiate between legato and staccato
marks.

·Tell students, “We’re going to be artists and draw legato and staccato.

Let’s practice by singing the song while “air drawing.”

·As a group, sing Jump Josie and “air draw” legato
and staccato.

Fantastic artists!

·Ask students to move to
their tables, pick up their marker, and “air draw” legato and staccato
before touching the paper.

·Draw while singing the
song. Request that the artists sign their work, and put their markers down.

· Document drawings with
the Camera app on your iPad!

Let’s Go On a Gallery Walk!

It’s time for the artists to go on a Gallery Walk! Ask student to walk around the room and look at the drawings
of other artists. The kiddos are unfailingly positive about their friends’
work, making this a fun, cumulative celebration.

And Finally…Yo-Yo Ma

The Swan

Bits and Pieces

*You
may be wondering why TheAviary isn’t included in the Shall We Dance? staccato column. It’s simply because the accelerated tempo makes it hard to move to. For my purposes, it works best as a listening example.

**Dance Streamers – I invented these dance
streamers years ago, finally settling upon flagging
tapeas the perfect medium due to their softness and the rustling sound they make when fluttering. Cut 5’ lengths of flagging tape, then chose five streamers and tie them at the halfway point on to a flexible plastic
bracelet. Use a double knot. Flagging tape is readily available at larger
hardware stores. Bracelets can usually be purchased at a party supply store. Dance streamers can be mono or
multi-colored, depending on your preference.

And in the
end...how did I use my iPad in the activities and blog creation,
anyhow?

Meet
the Orchestra app, YouTube video downloads via Watchlater app,
music player for listening comparatives and legato
and staccato dance challenge, KidsDoodlelegato and staccato drawing demonstration,Camera for taking pictures of kiddos and dance streamers, Screenshots of book cover, app icons, and more!

I am continually inspired by
the Children’s Music Network (CMN)
community. an international group of socially conscious musicians, educators,
librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate the positive
power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and
creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a gathering in your
region.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Spring is…well, it's trying to spring here in
Chicago. Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup here! With 1.5” of snow on Monday I
think the crocus and anemones in my garden would disagree (not to mention the
angry squirrels under my empty birdfeeder! I've been busy, guys!)

You may be preparing for a Mother’s Day
program, or just need a great song to sing for Spring! I don’t know where I first heard some of
these verses – and I’ve added my own at my students’ requests. It’s easy to learn, easy to teach, and the
children love it. They get the humor, no
bees are squished and it’s downright adorable!

You probably already know the tune – “I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee!” If not, it’s on my Sticky Bubble Gum cd – you
can hear a clip HERE (track #13) – and it was the Song of the Month on my website in May 2007.

Do you hear your bee? Bzzzz!

I use Beanie Baby animals for visuals in
each verse – you could use pictures or puppets, too.

Verse
1: Waggle your pointer finger around
while buzzing until you catch an imaginary bee.
Check your hands to be sure he’s in there! Sing:

I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee

Won’t my Mommy be so proud of me!

I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee-

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Teacher: Would that
be a good present for Mom?

Kids:
NO!

Teacher: Then let him go – bzzzzzz! How about a dinosaur?

Stomp! Stomp!

Verse
2: Pat hands on thighs for dinosaur
steps!

I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur

Won’t my Mommy hide behind the door!

I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur –

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp Stomp!

Teacher: Would that be a good present for Mommy?

Kids: Nooo!

Teacher: How about a crocodile????

Chomp! Chomp!

Verse 3: Open and close arms vertically in front of you to the
beat to make croc jaws!

I’m bringing home a baby crocodile

Won’t my Mommy wear a great big
smile!

I’m bringing home a baby crocodile –

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Teacher: Would Mommy like that?

Kids: NO!

Teacher: How about a grizzly bear?

Smiling grizzly bears - it's so much fun to growl!

Verse 4: Make claw-paws. Teach kids to put teeth together to growl!

I’m bringing home a baby grizzly bear

Won’t my Mommy tear out all her
hair?!?

Oh, I’m bringing home a baby grizzly
bear –

Grrrr! Grrrr!
Grrrr! Grrrr! GRRRRR!

Teacher: Would THAT make a good present form Mom?

Kids:
NOOO!

Teacher: What if we brought Mom something she would
really like? Can you think of what your
Mommy likes? I’ve got a great big pot
(hold out arms, hands touching in front, to make a big pot.) What can we put in it that Mom would
like? (take all suggestions – flowers,
kisses, chocolate, salad, noodles – yes, it usually includes things the
children like, too!) After all ideas are in, sing:

Verse 5: Everyone holds a big “pot” in front of them.

I’m bringing home a great big pot of
love

So much bigger than the sky above!

Oh, I’m bringing home a great big pot
of love –

Hug, hug, kiss, kiss, kiss!

Teacher: Would Mommy like that?

Kids: YES!!!

I have done a ladybug verse (won’t my Mommy give me a big hug?) and even
done Daddy verses! Have fun with this
song – all year long!

If you want to use 10 clothespins rather than 55 clothespins for a complete layout, you could turn the kites upside down, let the child draw one, and have the child attach the correct number of clothespins to the ribbon before removing the ribbons to draw the next kite.

I love that the clothespins look like kite ribbons and add a fine-motor activity at the same time.

Kite Letter Activities with Glass Gems

This tray has three activities using the Romping and Roaring Letter K Pack from 3 Dinosaurs. I used the "Follow the K Path," "Find the Letter Kk's," and "Dot the Kk's" printables. I added a number of spring-colored glass gems and a sugar tong from Montessori Services for more work on fine-motor skills.

This activity uses the Flying a Kite Word Family printable from Really Roper at Teachers Notebook. There are "op" family words in the printable as well as "ake" family words. I like that the printable uses both nonsense words and real words.

Carp Kite Craft

This activity adds a cultural element with the Carp Kite Craft printable (for Children's Day in Japan May 5) from Activity Village. For first graders, you could print out the directions (similar to the photo), add the necessary materials, and allow children to complete the craft independently.

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 38 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and baby granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.